"Finally we have our own superhero"
Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh has praised Marvel’s upcoming superhero film Shang-Chi for its Asian representation.
Speaking to the BBC, the Malaysian actress said “I am very, very happy that finally, we have our own superhero. You have Black Panther, right? You even have the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow.”
“Finally, yes,” Yeoh said while clapping, “Shang-Chi.”
Earlier this year, Yeoh highlighted similarities between Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi in an interview with TIME.
“When Crazy Rich Asians came out, it changed the map. It changed the whole way Asians were represented and seen,” she said. “We were no longer invisible. We were no longer just a token. We were really represented in a contemporary [way].”
“Not just in period pieces or flying across rooftops or something like that, but in a way little girls and little boys look up and go, ‘Oh my god, I can see that’s me up there.’ That is very, very important.”
Shang-Chi, AKA Master of Kung Fu, is a Marvel Comics character created in 1972 who eventually joins the Avengers. The character had his own series that ran for 125 issues and had a love interest with Deadpool’s ex, Domino.
Starring Kim’s Convenience actor Simu Liu marks Marvel’s first feature film with an Asian lead.
Shang Chi also stars Crazy Rich Asians actress Awkwafina and Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung and has a 98% Asian cast,
Liu himself said the film “could change the world”.
In October, Liu revealed that Shang-Chi has finished filming.